Chapter 163: A New Rain Washes Away the Old Dust
Clear water slowly poured from the gourd ladle, falling into the gray clay basin. The green leaves, struck by the flow, trembled continuously.
After finishing watering, His Holiness the Pope tossed the wooden ladle back into the pool, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked toward the hall, as if he had just done something utterly ordinary.
The soil in the clay basin grew moist. The previously slightly wilted green leaves returned to their original state, their edges no longer curling, their veins becoming clearer. A single droplet of water rolled gently across the surface like a dewdrop.
Many days ago, His Holiness the Pope and His Eminence the Cardinal had a conversation here. At that time, the Cardinal had said that maturity required the nourishment of rain, and sometimes even more so, the pressure of hardship. Now, that green leaf had already endured too much pressure—perhaps it was precisely the time when it needed the nourishment of rain.
The Dust-Washing Pavilion was within the Green Leaf World.
Chen Changsheng’s body was scorching hot. His face was flushed crimson. The blood and water on his clothes had long since evaporated.
His aura grew stronger and stronger, while at the same time, the oppressive heat within the pavilion became increasingly intense.
Mo Yu stood by the window, watching the youth enduring the torment of suffering. Her expression remained indifferent, but her hands, hidden within her sleeves, were already clenched together.
“Can we make him stop?” Prince Chenliu glanced at her imperceptibly, then asked.
Mo Yu remained silent. Chen Changsheng was at a critical moment of his first illumination. Not only was his eyes closed, unaware of the outside world, but even if he could communicate with others, he could not halt the burning of the starlight within him. If he could have done so, why would he have ended up in such a dangerous situation?
The only way to interrupt this process and save him from the brink of death was through external force—and it had to be extremely powerful, even legendary in strength.
In the capital, only two people possessed such power: His Holiness the Pope and Her Holiness the Empress.
The problem was that Chen Changsheng and the National Academy were precisely the symbols that the old guard of the state religion, loyal to the Chen imperial clan, and the old faction forces had pushed forward to challenge the existing order. How could Her Holiness the Empress and His Holiness the Pope possibly intervene?
The temperature inside the Dust-Washing Pavilion grew higher and higher. The cicada chirping outside grew louder and louder—this was the Green Leaf World’s response.
Chen Changsheng had ultimately underestimated the danger of burning starlight, because his physical condition was unique. Since the descent of the Heavenly Book, this continent had never seen a case like his. Even the three thousand Daoist scriptures contained no similar records. He truly might die from this, or be burned into a fool.
Who could change all this? Who could extinguish the invisible fire within him and lower the temperature of the Green Leaf World?
Just then, a single raindrop suddenly fell from the azure sky.
Then came a thousand drops, ten thousand drops—a torrential downpour.
*Hua hua hua hua*
The mighty rain descended from the heavens, falling onto the black eaves of the Dust-Washing Pavilion, onto the yellow sand, and onto Chen Changsheng’s body.
There was no sound other than the rain.
People looked up at the sky, gazing at the curtain of rain, struck speechless with awe.
A flicker of fear, mixed with a trace of bewilderment, appeared in Mo Yu’s eyes.
There were no clouds, yet rain fell.
This rain naturally came from outside the world.
A cardinal of the Holy Church watched the rain falling from the sky, his expression shifting continuously.
As one of the six giants of the state religion, he naturally knew where this rain came from.
But as a confidant of His Holiness the Pope, he could not understand why this rain had come.
Why would a saintly figure reach out to help that youth from the National Academy?
Rain could wash away the dust of the world, and it could also carry away heat.
The rain fell on Chen Changsheng’s body. The moment it touched his scalding skin, it instantly evaporated into steam. At the same time, his body temperature plummeted sharply.
The temperature inside the Dust-Washing Pavilion also dropped rapidly. Earlier, it had felt like the height of summer, unbearably hot. After the rain, it was as if deep autumn had arrived, and a chill began to creep in.
Zhuang Huanyu suddenly felt cold.
Just then, he heard a cough from the second floor.
He did not know who was coughing, but he knew that person was reminding him: he must strike first before this autumn rain ended.
Although he did not understand what was happening to Chen Changsheng, he could not allow any unexpected variables to occur.
But he did not move.
Because this autumn rain was too fierce, carving deep gullies into the yellow sand, filling him with reverence and preventing him from overstepping.
Still, it did not matter.
Because he was the pride of the Heavenly Academy. He was proud.
He had originally wanted to prove to the entire continent and to Princess Luoluo that Chen Changsheng was inferior to him. So defeating Chen Changsheng at his strongest was the best outcome.
An autumn rain brings a chill.
Inside the pavilion, it gradually grew cold and clear.
The torrential rain gradually thinned, becoming a light drizzle.
Chen Changsheng opened his eyes.
His eyes were extremely clear, like raindrops, able to see the hidden images of this world.
The yellow sand swirling around him had settled. The overflowing true essence had all retracted into his body.
Having undergone his first illumination again and successfully crossed the threshold, he was now at his peak.
He raised the short sword in his hand.
A sword intent, like autumn rain, enveloped the entire Dust-Washing Pavilion and instantly arrived before Zhuang Huanyu.
The first form of the Zhongshan Wind and Rain Sword: Rising from the Yellow Earth.
Zhuang Huanyu’s face instantly turned pale.
He had not expected that in such a short time—merely the span of a torrential rain—Chen Changsheng would close his eyes, open them again, and become so strong.
That sword intent, like autumn rain, was condensed to its utmost, and the true essence it contained was also extremely powerful.
His mind momentarily faltered, and before he could react, he was at an absolute disadvantage.
That condensed but unreleased sword intent, like autumn rain about to fall but not yet fallen, was less than a foot from his brow.
*Drip drop, drip drop.* The rainwater on the black eaves slowly fell, striking the ground.
The yellow sand had been washed away by the rain, revealing the bluestone slabs beneath.
The rain tapped against the bluestone slabs. The monotonous sound made the atmosphere in the arena extremely tense.
Chen Changsheng did not continue his strike.
This sword was his first after breaking through. His spirit and sword momentum were at their peak. If Zhuang Huanyu lost focus for even a moment, he could be defeated in a single blow.
But he did not do it.
He waited for Zhuang Huanyu to come to his senses.
Because earlier, when Chen Changsheng had closed his eyes in meditation, Zhuang Huanyu had given him time.
Whether it was because the gullies carved into the yellow sand by the autumn rain had made Zhuang Huanyu afraid to advance, or because of his pride, he had given Chen Changsheng an opportunity.
So now, Chen Changsheng was returning that opportunity to him.
The Dust-Washing Pavilion was silent.
“Youthful battles are indeed different,” someone on the second floor remarked with emotion.
If it were an adult, in an important competition like the Grand Examination, they would never give their opponent any chance.
Only the young would do such a thing.
Perhaps it was because they had experienced fewer things and had not accumulated much dust on themselves, or perhaps it was because this autumn rain had washed away the dust on them. In any case, compared to adults, they still believed in fairness. This might be naive and childish, but it also represented a certain vitality and confidence.
“Now, you can’t beat me.”
Chen Changsheng looked at Zhuang Huanyu and said, “Admit defeat.”
(That’s all for today.)